Release Condition
by zephryr
Summary: 14 Participants are forced into a death game where if they don't remove their collars by 73 hours, their heads will explode. Explore each Participant's route as they have one goal in mind "How do I survive?" each participant will be forced to make uncomfortable decisions. One participant in particular will make sure each route progresses smoothly... But at what cost? SYOC (Closed)
1. Release Condition Form

She walked.

A small child, no older than 10, was walking along the pavement to the grocery store. Her name was **Chouko Imai** , who skipped along happily as she held a small list in one hand, and a basket in the other. The list asked for simple things like: eggs, milk, bread, cereal; just the usual.

If anyone was to stare at the small child for whatever reason and observe her; she was small for a girl her age who couldn't have been taller than 4'4. She had short, raven black hair that was held firmly in place by a white, butterfly designed hair-clip. She had piercing ice blue eyes with a small nose and guarded lips. As for her build, expected of a small girl, looked dainty and fragile as she reached a small hand towards the cereal; mentally checking it off her list.

As for her clothing; she wore a long-sleeved black shirt, though it was mostly hidden as she wore an oversized white smock over her long-sleeved shirt. She wore white tights as they were designed with the patterns of black butterflies. Finally, she wore black school shoes which were firmly strapped.

"Chouko! It's always lovely to see you here" A kind old lady greeted kindly as Chouko showed her the items she had collected.

Chouko smiled in return. "Thank you Mrs. Hayashi" She thanked politely.

Hayashi chuckled in return. "Didn't I tell you already? Just call me Risa"

Chouko smiled a little more awkwardly. "My father said to always be polite, even to people I see everyday" She muttered quietly, looking down to her school shoes.

Risa scoffed. "That father of yours, I swear, I will slap him silly one day. What can be more important than paying attention to such a precious butterfly?" She smiled, ruffling Chouko's hair.

Chouko pouted in return, swatting Risa's hand away. "Please don't mess up my hair, my father will be angry if I return looking silly"

Risa rolled her eyes. "Your father is the silly one. I suppose I shouldn't keep you here any longer, have a good day Chouko and stay safe"

Chouko nodded in return, giving Risa a small smile as she handed over the necessary amount of money.

* * *

Chouko had made it home safely. She lived in a fairly big house, though it was only expected knowing who her father was. She opened the front door and entered, she stopped at the small mat near the front door, wiping her shoes to rid of it any potential dirt.

"Father, I'm home!" Chouko called out into the eerily empty house. She waited a few minutes as she waited for her father to take the basket off her.

She flinched as she heard heavy footsteps coming down a long set of stairs. A young man, around his 30's, towered over Chouko as he took the basket from her hands and began inspecting the items.

This was Chouko's father. It was clear he had her at a young age, due to his admittedly handsome face which screamed youth all over it.

"Yes… Excellent work Chouko, you've done well" He roughly patted her head, Chouko hiding a grimace behind a strained smile. "Hmm… It is nearly that time of year" Chouko paled at once, her smile disappearing.

"Father… Do you not believe this to be cruel?" She boldly asked, closing her eyes, expecting to be backhanded. Her father, to Chouko's shock, got down on his knees and hugged her tightly, bringing her head to his chest. She blushed at the warmth of her father's chest, his hand stroking her hair affectionately.

"My little butterfly… You have a gift. This is all for research's sakes, I know It's hard… But please stay strong, stay strong for daddy, okay?" He mumbled, his head atop of hers, desperately holding her as if she would fade away any moment.

Chouko's father was a cruel man. But Chouko didn't know, she just knew that she wanted to see this side of her father forever. She didn't know how to obtain love any other way.

"Yes… Father"

Reo Imai, Chouko's father, frowned. He didn't know why his only daughter was formal with him. It was true that he was a serious man, but it saddened him that his daughter feared him so much that she referred to him with such a formal title. No matter, it was all for research, after it was completed; he'd have all the time in the world to rekindle the relationship between him and his daughter.

"Yes… Because you are so strong, I need you to participate in this year's game"

Chouko looked as white as a ghost. "Father, please don't, I could di-"

"I won't allow anything to happen to you… You are my precious butterfly… Do you trust me?" He relished in the hug as his daughter didn't push him away.

"Yes… I do. I'll always trust you" Chouko whispered, returning her father's hug. They stayed hugging for a few minutes, neither wanting to let go, though Reo was the first to pull away.

"Chouko, you must memorize this list of **release conditions** so that you are aware of what you must be careful of" Reo told her sternly.

Chouko nodded her head, breathing deeply as she looked over the the list of release conditions.

 **Player 1: Kill Player 13**

 **Player 2: Obtain the Decoy PDA and destroy it. You may identify the Decoy PDA by being 1 meter away from it**

 **Player 3: Kill 3 players maximum and no more**

 **Player 4: Obtain 5 collars from the other players, whether you wait for them to complete their release condition or kill them is your choice**

 **Player 5: Pass through 24 checkpoints displayed on your PDA**

 **Player 6: Activate the Decoy PDA 5 or more times**

 **Player 7: Meet every player after grace period ends. Corpses do not count**

 **Player 8: Within 5 meters, destroy exactly 5 PDA's excluding the Decoy PDA. Breaking anymore than 5 will result in immediate death**

 **Player 9: Detonate 5 collars before the 71 hour mark**

 **Player 10: Survive with a player that has been with you for more than 24 hours for 71 hours**

 **Player 11: Obtain 5 PDA's**

 **Player 12: Be the only Survivor before the 72 hour mark**

 **Player 13: Survive for 71 hours**

 **Player 14: Survive with Player 13**

Chouko frowned at the release conditions in front of her. "Which release condition shall I have during the game?"

"You will be **Player 5**. That is the safest release condition to almost secure your survival" Reo immediately replied.

Chouko had other concerns. "How do I avoid the players that wish to kill me? Like Players 3 and 12?"

Reo rolled his eyes. "You're smart girl, you'll figure it out"

Chouko frowned. "So, who will be my opponents?"

Reo rolled his eyes again. "Not all of them will be enemies… Just most of them. Regardless, here is the list"

* * *

 **Yep... Almost over a year and I'm back to bring a story. Frankly, I feel stupid. First of all I need to clarify a few things that you need to understand. This is not a standard DR killing game, think along the lines of DR3. Second, the concept of this game is heavily inspired by a visual novel I once read. Lastly, the 12 OC's I accept are going to have something called a "Route" where I dedicate a 5 chapter story to 1 OC at a time. With that logic, I should have a little over 65 chapters of this story telling every OC's route, Chouko's route being included.**

 **Now that I've gotten all of that out of the way, here's the form. (and please stick to it, I have been submitted an OC that didn't use my form which leaves me awfully disorganized)**

 **Rules:**

 **1) No Mary Sues or Gary Stues, this should be a granted.**

 **2) This is not a first serve first come. I will set the date to August 15th, though if I do get a really good cast, I might shorten it to pressure you guys.**

 **3) While I do like enough detail to work with, please do not feel the need to go 8 PM's as all the details will not be met, especially since your OC may only appear in their route or a brief appearance in someone else's .**

 **4) You can only submit 2 OC's, however, I'll strictly only be using 1 OC from each creator.**

 **5) With that said and done, feel free to ask me any questions if you feel unsure of anything!**

 **Okay, now the form!**

* * *

 **Release Condition Form**

Name: (Let's try to generally keep it Japanese, I'm not a big fan of having more than 2 foreign OC's)

Gender: (Let's stick to male and female)

Age: (This is the interesting part, you can choose 13-70, insane, I know)

Occupation: (This is a replacement for Talent, if your OC is a teenager, just think of a career they might want to do in the future)

Height:

Weight:

Sexuality: (I'm pretty open to anything)

Nationality: (Again, I'd prefer Japanese, but It's your choice if you feel confident enough)

History: (Just for an example of how detailed I want, you can go 4-8 paragraphs if it helps)

Family: (Just family members, mother, father? Son, daughter? Aunt, uncle? Your choice)

Physical Appearance: (Eye color, body stature, hair style and color, ect)

Clothing: (Be careful with what your character wears, they'll almost certainly be doing some running, which means suitable clothing is necessary, or else they're just going to die)

Personality: (I'm a bit more forgiving for personality and will say 2-6 paragraphs should be fine)

Health Mental/Physical Disorders?: (Do they have a missing leg? Are they sick in the head? That kind of stuff)

Release Condition Preference: (This is for you guys to tell me which preferred Release Condition you feel would fit your OC best, just keep in mind, they might not get the Release Condition you suggested)

Are they willing to kill?: (Are there any scenarios where your OC is willing to kill? Even if it looks like someone is going to kill them?)

Who can they kill easily enough?: (Basically, who are they willing to kill without hesitation based on appearance?) **Optional**

Who will they have a hard time killing?: (Will they have a hard time killing nice people? Elderly? Children?) **Optional**

Speech: (How do they speak?)

Fears?: (Do they fear anything in particular?)

Secrets?: (What angst-y secrets do they have?)

Love Interest?: (What kind of person would they fall for?)

Character Arc: (Is there a Character Arc you want your character going through specifically? This'll be heavily explored during their route)

Other: (Anything I forgot?)

* * *

 **Welp! This is all from me for now, I can't wait to see what you guys produce!**

 **Also! For anyone who submitted an OC to "Batafurai Academy" feel free to send in the same OC, just changed so that it fits this form. Although I am looking for variety in the ages, so that might not be the best idea.**

 **Until I next update! I hope I've caught your interest...**

 **\- zephryr**


	2. Release Condition Cast (Finalized)

**Hello peoples! I just thought I'd update the cast. Don't worry, no one's OC's have been confirmed yet, but I thought I'd mention what kind of characters I need at the moment. But first!**

* * *

 **Females:**

 **1)** Chouko Imai - **zephryr**

 **2)** Nori Mitsugi - **mayurie**

 **3)** Michiru Okudaira - **Lupus Overkill**

 **4)** Miriko Kobayashi - **Crimson Spider Lily**

 **5)** Emica Niseyama - **liammarklh88**

 **6)** Fusako Ikari - **Sanityrequiem**

 **7)** Anko Okashi - **AmaryllisGreen**

 **Males:**

 **1)** Seitaro Miyamoto - **PainX65**

 **2)** Ryuu Akiyama - **Abitat Eco**

 **3)** Kimiyori Ikeda - **TheRoseShadow21**

 **4)** Katashi Ayatsuji - **ifdalesew**

 **5)** Takeo Hayabusa - **emberblitz3** **21**

 **6)** Fusui Maremaru - **Shyjoker**

 **7)** Inari Orihara - **Autis** **24**

* * *

 **Okay, now that we have that out of the way, I'll get to work.**

 **Females - I have a lot of woman in their twenties, so I'd love it if I could get more in their 40's or 50's, though with the females I have now, I think It's very likely that I have all the females confirmed with maybe 1 spot left, though I'll make ambiguous for now.**

 **Males - I am lacking males a little bit, maybe a couple in their 20's is fine, maybe late 30's or early 40's would do as well. I also wouldn't mind anyone in their 50's or even 60's. I would also love it if I got a 13 or 14 year old whose kinda bratty.**

 **Anyways, because I've been getting a good variety of characters, I'll be shortening the deadline to the 25th this month as I've realized waiting until August 15th is a little crazy.**

 **That's it for now! I hope you'll enjoy my story when it comes around!**

 **\- zephryr**

* * *

 **Update** **2: I'm** **updating again, even if it has only been 5 days. The reason is because we're near the deadline now and I thought I'd update the accepted characters list. And as some of you will notice, mayurie has** **2 OC's even when I explicitly stated that you may only send in 1 character. The reason I have decided to accept both characters is because I find both of them well made, and It'll potentially spark some interesting conflict, willingly or not.**

 **Anyways, only 6 spots now. I've gotten a good variety of males again, so if you do feel comfortable making female characters, then I encourage you to do so! However, if you have already started making a male character, then keep going at it!**

 **so, yeah, that's all I've gotta say for now.**

 **\- zephryr**

* * *

 **Update 3: This is now the official cast! First of all I'll have to clarify a few things.**

 **1) I did end up switching out Watari for another male submission, this is because there were too many submissions that were really good. Plus, comparing the two OC's I liked, Nori was simply the more appealing choice. Thanks for filling in both anyways mayurie, I appreciate it!**

 **2) Due to the amount of male OC's I got, it would've been a crime not to add another spot for the males. If you want to check out Player 14, it has been added to the first chapter.**

 **3) For anyone who submitted to my story, yet didn't get in, feel free to message me and I'll give you my reasons. Or not, I don't wanna force you or anything...**

 **Anyways, yup, I got my cast now! Expect a chapter to come out in a couple of days, a week at the latest! Thank you to everyone who submitted and I'll see you all later!**

 **\- zephryr**


	3. Meet the Participants

"Father, you can give me a list of names all you like, it doesn't mean I can magically know everything about them" Chouko huffed, getting slightly annoyed.

Her father had the intention of sending her into a death game, yet all he can give her are lists? With her life on the line now, Chouko had no choice but to become more assertive if she was to understand each participant chosen for the game.

Chouko soon regretted that choice as she was lightly slapped, but forceful enough to leave a sting as her father glared down upon her as she stumbled, but regained her footing. She looked down to her shoes again as her father coldly reprimanded her.

"I will not tolerate cheeky behaviour. You are soon to be a young woman, so start acting like one" Reo scolded, rubbing the hand he had slapped Chouko with.

Chouko composed herself, standing straight as she went in for a bow.

Reo held his hand out as a signal to stop her. "A young woman curtsies, you have been taught that countless of times"

Chouko sighed internally as she curtsied, her hands shaking as she made an effort not to look her father in the eyes. Reo eyed her critically before nodding his head in approval.

"Apologies for the slap, it was unnecessary… You'll forgive daddy, won't you?" Reo asked, voice cracking to prove a point.

Chouko simply nodded.

Reo gave a big sigh, looking up towards the ceiling before back down towards his daughter.

"Now, what was it you wanted to ask me?" Reo asked lazily, almost in a mocking manner as Chouko couldn't help but notice the height difference between them.

Chouko gave herself five seconds to calm down before replying. "Father, may you explain everything you can about the participants chosen for this game? Please?"

Reo pursed his lips. "I would've preferred it if you had said please earlier, but your manners are more impeccable than other children" he smirked to himself internally as he stared down at Chouko.

She remained silent.

"Very well, let's start with..."

* * *

"ANKO!" A booming voice shouted throughout the the busy restaurant.

A middle aged woman popped her head out of the kitchen door with a wolfish grin.

She had dull brown, naturally curly hair that reaches down to her shoulders, styled into a tight bun. Her eyes were a dusty shade of red. Her skin tone slightly darker than peach with a round face and baby fat on her cheeks, making her look younger than the woman actually was. She had a narrowed nose and a toned build who was taller than the average woman at 5'5.

Her clothing consisted of white overalls with black outlines and buttons.

Her name was **Anko Okashi**.

"WHAT?" She shouted back, working furiously as she gave a couple of orders towards the other chefs in the restaurant.

"SASHIMI TABLE 5. TEMPURA TABLE 8. OKONOMIYAKI TABLE 11!" A pudgy, burly man shouted out. Anko nodded her head in understanding.

"Makoto, table 5! Ayame, table 8! I'll take table 11! Y'all know what you're making, go, go, go!" Anko clapped aggressively to make the workers work faster.

"Such an organized restaurant, no wonder it's the best in the city..."

"The sweet, yet spicy aroma, is simply making my mouth drool"

"That Danzo was lucky to find such a hard working girl, what an inspiration"

Anko smiled with pride as she continued to make the Okonomiyaki. She was so happy that she was making her dad proud. When she had first started working, she was excited to be working with someone she loved, yet thoughts of self-doubts entered her mind as she fretted over being a failure to her generous father.

Luckily Danzo, Anko's father, was a perceptive man and was able to relieve Anko of her worries.

Anko breathed a sigh of relief as she wiped beads of sweat off her forehead. She loved her job as a chef, but she couldn't deny the utter exhaustion she felt at the end of the day. Working at a famous restaurant was hard work.

A few hours went by, the usual orders coming in. Finally though, it was the end of the day.

"Good work everyone! Have a very well earned rest!"

The employees left happily, chattering to each other as they left.

"You especially have done well Anko, I'm proud" Danzo smiled gruffly, patting Anko on the back.

Anko grinned. "Of course, I enjoy cooking, so it only makes sense that I'd try my best..." She blushed happily, her hands behind her back as she moved in place modestly.

The jolly man laughed loudly in place. "So modest you are, go get some rest"

Anko nodded her head as she made her way into her bedroom. She lived inside the restaurant as her father loved his restaurant very much.

Entering her room, she decided to make herself more comfortable as she let her hair that was tied into her bun down. She didn't bother to brush it as she knew that there was no taming her wild curls.

Next, she changed out of her overalls and changed into more comfortable clothing.

Anko changed into a plain white T-shirt underneath a red jumper with a hood. She wore black track pants and black track shoes.

Something was bothering Anko as she lay down in bed, looking up at the ceiling. She couldn't place the thought, but something was bothering her…

"Oh shit!"

She'd forgotten to lock up the restaurant, how stupid could she have been?!

As quickly as she could, she bolted from her bed, down the stair and made her way to the door, grabbing the key that was on the kitchen counter. She was about to lock it before-

*creak*

Anko whipped her head around as quickly as she could.

Someone was in the restaurant...

Anko stealthily made her way around the restaurant as she attempted to pinpoint where the sound came from. She waited for a full 5 minutes…

"Is no one here?" Anko thought aloud.

That's when they struck.

"Oof- Hey, le-go!" She struggled as her attacker covered her mouth.

"W-what. Are. y-you..." Anko lost consciousness slowly, after many attempts of throwing off her attacker.

Anko's attacker merely looked down on her.

"You've been chosen for this year's game"

* * *

"Kimiyori-sensei!" A highschool student shouted, waving his arm to catch the person's attention.

The man known as "Kimiyori-sensei" turned towards the voice and made his way over.

Despite being 42, the man could've been easily mistaken to be in his early 30's. He had a strong build, though it was more lean rather than bulky, his arms and shoulders were noted to be the most muscular. He had a clean shaven faced, with only a small stubble. His eyes were sharp and narrowed, dark brown with a hint of red, almost a mahogany colour. His hair was inky black, long enough to put it in a samurai topknot, though he didn't have any bald spots. He kept a short fringe that was long, but didn't reach his eyes. His complexion was pale, but not noticeably so.

The man wore a clean white gi, with a dark blue hakama held in with a narrow obi which was a similar shade to the hakama. He wore white tabi socks. He also wore a light brown mitsugake made of deerskin, which has a shitagake underneath it. Strapped on his back with a leather strap, he had a plastic brown yazutsu with a small tsurumaki made out of bamboo. Attached to his yazutsu were two containers which contained fudeko and giriko. Finally, he had a bow in his hands.

This man was known as **Kimiyori Ikeda**.

He gave a gentle smile to his student as he spoke with them. "What seems to be the matter? Mister Oshiro?" he asked them.

"I don't really think this bow is for me" Oshiro remarked as he inspected the bow in his hand.

Kimiyori narrowed his eyes, analyzing the bow in his hand. After a few seconds, he nodded his head as he figured out the problem. "Mister Oshiro, this bow is much too big for a young man like you. Hold on a moment" Kimiyori then made his way into the storage room as he searched for a more suitable bow. "Not this one… No… Yes, this is perfect" He commented quietly as he held a bow in his hand. He made his way back Oshiro and handed it to him. "Give that one a try"

Oshiro nodded his head as he took a deep breath and aimed. A few seconds later, he let the string go and hit a bullseye. The student in question widened his eyes. "Thank you so much Kimiyori-sensei!" The boy bowed.

Kimiyori chuckled to himself as he stared at the boy with a sense of pride. He looked at the time on the wall.

"Alright everyone! That's it for today, I'm proud of all of you!"

The students chattered among themselves as Kimiyori waited for all his students to leave. It was the end of the day, so he had to do a bit of paperwork and go to a couple of meetings before heading home for the day.

Suddenly, a young woman walked into the dojo.

Kimiyori quirked an eyebrow. "Do you require assistance, Miss Ishikawa?"

Ishikawa blushed in return. She attempted to cough into her hand subtly as she composed herself. "A man has requested to speak with you. I believe it has something to do with your youngest daughter and a friend she made…?"

Kimiyori brought a hand to his chin. "Friend she made?" he pursed his lips "Goodness, what was her name…? Chieko? No, that doesn't sound right. Send the man up anyways Miss Ishikawa"

She nodded her head, stumbling as she made her way out.

A few minutes later, a young man walked in. Kimiyori had a couples of bows stacked in his arms. He gave the man a small smile. "Greeting sir, if you could just bare with me, I have to put the equip- OOF!"

Kimiyori was forced to kneel and clutch his stomach, letting all the bows he was holding drop, as the man before him had punched him in the gut. Hard. With no traces of gentleness, the man forcefully grabbed Kimiyori's scalp, who grunted in response, and jammed a syringe into his neck.

Kimiyori through all of it heaved as his neck felt hot. His forehead started glistening with sweat as the drug was starting to settle in.

"W-what, did, y-you, y-you do?" Kimiyori muttered before he was forced into unconsciousness.

The perpetrator promptly let go of Kimiyori's scalp, sending him to the floor with a hard thud.

Another man nonchalantly entered the room, shaking his head in disapproval as he noticed Kimiyori's sorry state. "Is this why you wanted to deal with this one personally Reo? So you could beat the crap out of him?" He asked Kimiyori's attacker, who was now known as Reo.

Reo scoffed, sending a hard glare at the man. He turned back towards Kimiyori. He clenched his fist as he promptly kicked Kimiyori's side. There was no response.

"Shut up and take the body"

* * *

"I… R… I… S… Iris"

"Z… I... N… N… I… A… Zinnia"

"D… A… I… S… Y… Daisy"

A middle aged man laid on a bunk bed in a prison cell as he spelled the names of numerous flowers out loud.

This was the life of **Fusui Maremaru**.

Fusui was a tall man with a strong build. Though is wasn't as strong as others would expect from prisoners. His body was horrendously scarred, a few of his fingers missing which were replaced with mechanical fingers. His left eye was crimson colored, but his right eye was ominously covered with a flower designed eyepatch.

Strangely enough however, Fusui was allowed to dress however he wanted… As long as it was appropriate. He wore a salmon pink turtleneck sweater with the collar unbuttoned. A moss green vest with flower embroideries at the hems. He wore red pleated pants along with a pair of ugg boots.

The reason Fusui was allowed in his own clothing was because he might not be here long.

He was going to enter a game.

Fusui continued to spell out the names of flowers that came to his mind.

If he had to describe the feeling of murder, he would have to say that it was an art of sorts. A way to relieve stress you could say. It didn't matter who he killed, if they proved annoying, he'd kill them. He specifically relished in killing college students. This was a stage in time that they were suppose to grow up, yet if they refused, he would grant them the punishment of death.

He did miss teaching maths. It was a subject he genuinely enjoyed. But killing proved to be a stronger obsession as he never particularly cared about any specific students.

His thoughts then went onto his sister. How was she doing? Did she miss him? Or was she disappointed in him? It hardly mattered, his sister was weak, he couldn't handle weakness.

Finally, his thoughts were on the game. What was it about specifically? Would he get to kill without consequence? That'd be a fun game. He grinned to himself as he fantasized about the ways he would potentially kill his opponents.

Should he bash their head in? Strangle them? Torture them with a knife?

He started sweating at the prospect of killing. He suddenly felt very hot and had the urge to kill.

Suddenly, two wardens came up to Fusui's cell and opened it.

"It's time for the game. Come with us" The first warden said.

Fusui's eyes sparkled.

It was time to relieve himself.

* * *

"What do you think?"

"Wow! I look super smoking hot! Thanks Emi! You're a literal life a saver"

"Of course Yukiko, have a nice day with your now smoking sexy body! Tee hee!"

Emi was a young woman in her early twenties. She had a very svelte and skinny body with very noticeable curves. Her breasts were… Abundantly big. Her skin was peach, which was noticeably moisturized with no blemishes. She had long, dark, burgundy hair that ended near her lower back. Her eyes were brown which were half closed with black winged eyeliner and mascara to emphasize her butterfly eyelashes. Her lips were arched with dark purple lip gloss. Finally, she had a mole on her left cheek.

As for her clothing, Emi wore a dark purple sweater. Dark blue stonewashed jeans. Black and white running shoes with white socks. She wore a silver necklace with a heart outline gem pendant. As for her accessories, she had a black hair scrunchie on her left wrist, an aquamarine doctor's mask hanging from her neck, a red and blue pill shaped hair clip on the left side of her head and red framed glasses.

She was officially known as **Emica Niseyama**. However, she just preferred being called Emi. Keep it casual and stuff.

As soon as Yukiko made her way out. Emi took a deep breath.

"Phew! And the Plastic Princess accomplishes another mission! I wonder why it isn't queen though… Oh well, who cares?"

Bored and with nothing better to do, she called down to the registration. It ringed 3 times before the person on the other end picked up. "What is it Emica?"

Emi smiled mischievously. "I'm bored Takeru-chan~ Talk dirty to me~"

Takeru on the other end groaned. "Emica, I'm in a public place, I'm not going to talk dir- hello sir! You heard nothing whatsoever!"

Emi snorted. Completing her mission of embarrassing her co-worker, she was about to hang up before Takeru started talking again. "Emica, I'm sending a guy up to you"

Emi puffed out her cheeks in return. "Look, I know I'm the best Plastic Surgeon in the world, but I am a lady and a lady needs her own time!" she growled a little bit into the phone.

Takeru groaned in frustration. "Look! This guy is paying us loads. You'll get 30% added to your usual wage"

The Plastic Surgeon in question widened her eyes at the information. "You should've said that first you dork! Bring him up!" not waiting for a reply, Emi promptly ended the call.

Emi waited for a bit, wondering who would pay so much just for an urgent surgery when they could've gotten it for much cheaper. It didn't matter to her, she was getting payed!

She heard the elevator ding and she prepared a bright smile. "Hello sir, what can I do for you to- oomph!" The man had forcefully grabbed her head and force sort of gas mask on her face. She attempted to struggle, aiming to knee her attacker in the testicles. This proved futile as Emi's struggle became weaker, and weaker and weaker. She was no longer conscious.

The man in question took out a phone and rung a number. A few rings later and the other person picked up. "I got her, where do you want her delivered?"

* * *

"Inari, don't stay out late, okay?" A pretty middle aged woman said, who wore a frilly apron.

The very young man, who must've been a college student, nodded his head as he waved the lady a goodbye from the cottage they both presumably live in and made his way deeper into the forest.

 **Inari Orihara** was the epitome of strange.

He had a lanky and lean build, his skin healthily olive. He had fluffy bubblegum pink hair with strands of it sticking out all over the place, as if he had never brushed it. His face was indescribable, for no one could see it.

As for his clothing. He wore a red vest underneath a white dress shirt which has been painted with numerous flowers on it. He wore white jeans and red sneakers. To add a couple of accessories, he wore a white handkerchief which was tied to his left wrist and a white scarf which was also painted with many designs of flowers. The strangest thing about his appearance however was the inari mask he wore, the kami of foxes.

He took the backpack that he on his back off and opened It's flap. He rummaged through it before finally taking out a feeding bird hanger which was full of bird seeds. Inari then stepped away from the bird seeder that he hung on a tree to let them know that he wasn't a danger.

Inari took the time think back on his college experience. He was training to be a Veterinarian, and he considered himself to be one of the very best. His mentor didn't like him though, he assumed it was because of his eccentricities. Maybe it was how he insisted on wearing a mask? Or perhaps it was the way he ignored his mentor sometimes? It was most likely because his mentor was jealous of him, that must've been it.

While Inari waited for the birds to come, he started preparing another special food, this time for the squirrels. He sprinkled the seeds around a tree that the squirrels were looking down on him curiously. After sprinkling all of them, he backed away slowly to make the squirrels feel safe.

Inari crouched, taking a camera out of his backpack. He snapped a couple of quiet pictures as he observed the birds and squirrels enjoying the little snack he had made for them.

Suddenly, the birds and squirrels scurried off, leaving Inari confused and highly alert. What had made them rush off? Looking so scared? It didn't make sense. He scanned the area for any signs of intruders.

…

…

…

*Rustle*

That was all Inari needed before making a mad dash back to the cottage. Whoever was staying stealthy decided to come out as they publicly started chasing Inari. The fox wearer thought he had the upper-hand, but it was the tranquilizers that made him realize he couldn't bring them back to the lady.

He stopped.

His hunter stopped as well, observing the college student. Inari turned to face his attacker and widened his arms to the side, as if he was going to hug his attacker.

The hunter himself smirked.

"Smart choice"

That was how Inari was caught.

* * *

"... Sir, what are you doing?" A business looking woman lamented, looking unimpressed with the man before her.

The man had a bouquet of roses in his hands, pushing them towards the woman. "I'm expressing my love for you **Nori Mitsugi**!"

Nori pursed her lips as she glared at the man before her, or more specifically, her boss; Watari Kinjo.

Nori had a tall and slender build, her curves noticeable and bust bigger than the average woman. She had wavy orange hair cut short, reaching to just her nape. Her eyes were sharp, upturned steel grey while her complexion was pale.

Nori's clothing in return were very professional; wearing a white dress shirt tucked into a maroon coloured dress pants and a maroon coloured blazer. For her footwear, she wears a pair of 1 inch heels and for accessories, she wears a silver watch around her left wrist.

"Sir, I have some work I need to finish at home, move out of the way" Nori told him firmly, attempting to barge past him. Watari simply moved his arm in the way, making Nori groan in frustration.

"Nori, my love, just let me do your work. You're always working with no breaks, I worry about you" Watari begged, his eyes watering, Nori didn't pay much mind to it.

"I take breaks after I finish my work. The more you stall me, the more time It'll take to finish my work, so move!" Nori stated sternly, forcibly pushing Watari's arm out of the way and walked away hurriedly, huffing with each step.

It always infuriated her how Watari was always trying to distract her. It was unnecessary.

Other women at her work place were already starting to spread rumors about how the only reason she was the boss's secretary is because she seduced him or whatever.

She didn't have time for romance, even if she was interested.

Nori walked for a couple of minutes, making her way to an underground parking lot. She made her way to her car and started rummaging through her purse for her car keys.

*Click*

"Lady, drop the purse"

Nori rolled her eyes as she felt the barrel of the gun on the back of her head. What on earth was Watari putting her through now?

"So… What do you want? Money? Sex? Cuz… I'm not willing to do either..." She muttered, mentally preparing herself for what she was about to do.

The man grinned. "I'm not here for that, pretty lady, I'm here to cap- OOPH" the man suddenly clutched his head in pain as Nori struck him.

While the man was distracted, Nori had stealthily took off one of her heels and smacked him with it.

Heels were great weapons.

Before he had the chance to get up, she stomped on him with her other foot, making the man howl in pain. "Look here asshole, I maybe a woman, but I am no damsel in distress" She told him with a hateful glare.

"O-oh goodness! W-what's going on!?"

Nori turned her head to look at a young woman who had walked in on the scene. She pursed her lips as she explained to the woman her situation .

"I-I see...C-come with me! W-we can r-report him!" The woman stuttered nervously. Nori nodded, making sure to take her attacker's gun and hide it in her purse.

When they had made it outside, the woman suddenly pushed Nori, making her eyes widen. Nori landed on the floor hard, but what had her concerned was that it wasn't concrete, but metal of sorts.

She was in some sort of van.

The woman closed the door and locked it. Nori grit her teeth, kicking herself for being tricked by some sort of actress. "What is the meaning of this Watari?! If you're trying to prove a point, It's not working and I'm going to kick your arse when I get out of here!" She shouted out in the empty van.

Suddenly, some sort of gas entered the room and Nori ended up coughing. She couldn't get any words out as she continued to cough until she passed out.

* * *

"You are now under my control~"

"I am now under your control..."

"Flap your wings like a bird!"

The sound of squealing kids could be heard as a man started to flap his arms madly. The young woman who had hypnotized him was giggling into her arm, observing the man as he continued to flap his arms wildly.

"Thank you so much for coming, Miss…?" An elderly lady approached the young woman.

The young woman in turn tilted her head as she gave a lopsided smile. "Fusako Ikari, the explorer of the universe!"

Yes. **Fusako Ikari** was one day going to solve the mysteries of the universe.

Fusako was an unusual shade of pale to the point that many worried about her. She was unhealthily skinny, yet unnaturally curvy and busty, nobody knows why. Her hair was dark brown with blonde highlights which she left untied and messy which goes down to her mid-back. Her eyes are a light brown with yellow highlights, which is often mistaken for yellow eyes.

Fusako wears a navy blue jacket with a white rose sigil on the back with a hood and a coat tail. Her jacket was unzipped. Her sleeves were very long that they covered her long black nails. She wears a white cotton shirt underneath her jacket with the same rose sigil that was on her jacket. Her shirt exposes midriff which revealed her pierced bellybutton which were metal beads. As for her lower body, Fusako wore dark blue flare jeans which was secured with a black belt and silver buckle. Finally, Fusako wore untied black and white sneakers.

The elderly lady smiled awkwardly at Fusako's confirmation.

"Yes… Thank you for coming again, my grandson is very happy because of you young lady, bless you" She smiled wrinkly, showing off her gums.

This didn't deter Fusako as she smiled happily. "Of course! I'm always happy to help! Well… Unless I'm not learning anything, because what's the point of doing these acts of kindness if I don't learn anything from them, do you know what I mean!?" Fusako asked desperately, grasping the old lady's hand, who in return flinched.

"Uhm…" Was all that the old lady could say.

Fusako sighed. "Nevermind! Looks like I have to go now anyways, thanks for having me here! I've thoroughly enjoyed my time here, have the universe on your side!" She shouted as she quickly left the house.

She sprinted all the way back to her house, and to say the least, she was exhausted. She was heaving and coughing, hurriedly, she searched for an inhaler. After a few minutes, she found her inhaler and quickly breathed into it.

Fusako let herself have a few minutes to calm down before jumping up happily. "There we go! Much better!"

She quickly sat in front of her computer, typing furiously.

If one was to look at Fusako's search history, It'd be filled with a lot of searches for "Rich men who would randomly donate money"

She puffed out a bit of hair out of her face, frowning as her searches were proving to be unsatisfying.

To be frank, she didn't expect it to work, but there was that one slither of hope that it would work.

She supposed the universe wouldn't be that easy to crack.

Fusako suddenly heard a knock on her door. She quirked a brow as she nonchalantly approached her door. Opening it, she saw a woman on the other side.

"Fusako Ikari…?" The woman inquired, staring Fusako up down.

"Who're you?" Fusako bluntly asked.

"Someone who is willing to give you a lot of money if you participate in this game"

Fusako's ears perked at that. "I'm listening…" She smiled slightly, staring at the other woman intently.

"All you have to do is play a game and win it. You'll get your money at the end of the game" The woman explained. "We have a limo waiting outside for you, that way we can prove that we aren't scamming you"

Fusako bounced on the spot. "Sure! I'll participate in this game!"

The woman smirked. "Excellent, just follow me"

* * *

"The story was interesting, but it lacked any likable characters that no one would ever sit through a movie like this!"

"This movie has too many unrealistic shenanigans to properly narrate a cohesive story"

"... Don't even get me started"

 **Katashi Ayatsuji** massaged his forehead as these movie creators were looking at him expectantly. He looked at the clock on the wall, his eyes lighting up.

"Sorry everybody, that's all the time I've got for today!" He gave the gentlemen a wave while the ladies a wink.

Admittedly, it was a little cheesy. But Katashi could excuse cheesiness if it was executed properly, which he'd like to mention that he did perfectly!

Katashi was a fairly tall, built man, but by no means was he buff. He had light brown hair that was neatly combed back with matching chocolate brown eyes. His face was handsome, but he lacked any distinguishing features.

Katashi was dressed formally with a light blue dress shirt underneath a dark blue tailored suit. He wore matching dark blue pants with matching snazzy dress shoes.

The Film Critic made his way to his office to start watching "Dove's Love" Katashi couldn't help but scrunch his nose in disgust. Romance movies were by far his least favourite genre to critique. Mainly because the execution of any romance movie was inevitably going to be poorly executed.

Some movies relied on comedy to tell a love story, but that wasn't what Katashi was looking for. He wanted a fully fleshed out romance story that had good chemistry.

*ring*

*ring*

Katashi sighed, picking up his phone. "Mr Ayatsuji speaking, how may I help you? Oh, hey dad"

"You have heavily critiqued me yet again! Do you have any idea how shameful it is to be made a fool of by his own son!? It's damaging my reputation and I demand you stop"

Katashi rolled his eyes at the comment. "My critiques are perfectly fair! Maybe your acting shouldn't be so flawed, maybe then you'd actually gather some praise! Don't call me again unless you plan on being productive you plebeian!" He slammed the phone down to the receiver hard.

He immediately turned off the movie he was about to play, feeling too hot-headed to convey an accurate review properly.

Katashi decided to leave work early, lying about completing his review. He could always do it later, he just couldn't do it with the mood he was in now.

While leaving his work place, a pretty young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes approached Katashi. Laying his eyes on her, he was immediately smitten.

She was beautiful.

"Hello! Are you the famous Katashi Ayatsuji? I'm Maria, It's nice to meet you!" She exclaimed bubbly.

Katashi gave a dopey smile, his cheeks turning red. "Y-you aren't Japanese?"

Katashi cringed. That wasn't his most subtle question. Luckily, Maria just giggled into her hand.

"I'm half Japanese, you're really funny! Would you watch a movie with me? I made it myself and I'd love it if you could help me review it!"

The Film Critic gave a high pitched laugh, unable to process what his heart was feeling. Maria suddenly clung to his arm, making Katashi's face go red as he felt her breast rubbing up and down his arm.

"Please! I promise to repay you~" Maria gave him the puppy dog eyes and Katashi knew then and there that he was defeated.

"S-sure!"

"Great!"

Maria then gave him the biggest hug, wrapping her legs around his waist as Katashi caught his footing, wrapping his arms around Maria so she didn't fall. She nuzzled her face into his neck, making his heart rate go faster than the speed of light.

Just as he was relishing in the hug, he suddenly felt a sting in his neck, forcing him to fall back as Maria landed on top of him. He couldn't process what had happened, he just simply fell unconscious.

Maria smirked. "That was too easy"

* * *

"Grandma! Grandma! Thank you for the pwetty dress! Pwetty pwetty" A young child hugged an old lady.

The old lady gave a wrinkly smile. "Of course, Michiru, a pretty girl must have a pretty dress after all!"

Michiru giggled in response. "You are pwetty too!"

The old lady smiled again. "Bless you Michiru, but you're much prettier than me, be a gem and fetch me my boots would you? I'm in the mood for a bit of grocery shopping"

This old lady was called **Miriko Kobayashi**.

Miriko was an average sized, thin lady with wrinkles befitting for her age. She had chin-length silver hair with piercing grey eyes.

As for her clothing; Miriko wore a blouse with white thin stripes, typical mom jeans, a silver ring on her left hand and black boots that her granddaughter was kindly fetching for her.

Miriko made her way to the kitchen where her wife was cooking. "I'm going to the grocery store to grab a couple of ingredients" she gave Otaka, her wife, a peck on the cheek.

"Ooh! Hold on a moment, I've prepared a list of things I need"

Miriko shook her head lovingly as Otaka fussed around, organizing some papers before giving her lover a small slip of paper.

"Here you go, come back safe" Otaka whispered hoarsely.

Miriko nodded before heading out.

She hummed happily to herself as she walked. Despite visiting the shops many times…

She was lost.

Miriko pursed her lips as she made her way around a corner at her own pace. Suddenly, a man came out of nowhere and held a gun to Miriko's head.

Miriko jumped at the sight, placing her hand gently to her heart to calm down. "O-oh goodness!" The old lady couldn't help gasping out.

"Look, I'm not into hurting old ladies, however I will not hesitate to harm you unless you follow my instructions, clear?"

Miriko nodded her head fearfully, her eyes frantically looking around the area for help.

There wasn't any.

* * *

"This is the sixth time-"

"Seventh"

"Shut up!"

The police officer growled, bringing his face dangerous close to a prisoner's, who just smiled cheerfully in return.

The prisoner was known as **Seitaro Miyamoto** , though he didn't mind shortening it to Sei.

Sei was very tall, his build being fairly athletic, though he wasn't buff. His skin was fair with sky blue eyes and bright, unkempt, green hair.

As for his clothing, it was that of a simple prisoner outfit. It consisted of a plain orange prison suit which had long sleeves with shackles on each wrist, both having a small chain on them. He was also barefoot.

Sei stared at the officer blankly.

"This is the seventh time you have tried to escape and you need punishment"

Seitaro rolled his eyes. "What? Are you going to chain me up and beat me? You should know by now that punishment won't break me~" Sei winked, sticking out his tongue.

The police officer growled, punching Sei in the face as hard as he can, though he didn't look fazed.

"Is that my punishment? Awfully weak, I must say"

"Shinji! What the fuck are you doing?!" Another police officer came, this time looking more like a guard.

Shinji growled. "Fuck off Ryutatsu"

"Get out, just get out!" Ryutatsu shouted furiously, making Shinji stop and flee the scene.

Ryutatsu then turned to Sei. "Are you okay? I saw him punch you, need an ice pack?"

Sei shook his, grinning. "Perfectly fine, the guy was weak"

Ryutatsu rolled his eyes, smiling fondly as he searched for something.

"Here it is, I'm going to get you out of here"

Sei's eyes bulged as he stared intensely at Ryutatsu. "What? How!? I still have a couple of years left"

"Simply survive this game and you get a clean record, you become a completely new person!"

Sei paused at that. "Survive? What game are you thrusting me into?"

Ryutatsu licked his lips. "A death game, to put it bluntly, but I believe you can survive. Are you up for the challenge?"

Sei stare off into space, considering the pros and cons before smirking to Ryutatsu.

"I've got this in the bag"

* * *

"Sora, will you listen to me?" A young boy, around 14 years old walked back from school as he stared dazedly into the sky.

His name was **Ryuu Akiyama**.

Ryuu was short for his age, being under 5 foot. Despite his short height, it didn't deter him from having a healthy build, his legs in particular being fairly muscled. For his facial appearance, his chin was subtly pointed with a pale complexion and noticeable dimples. His amber eyes glistened, wide in shape with subtly arched eyebrows. Ryuu had a pointed nose, small red lips and slightly larger than average ears. His ears were sometimes obscured under strands of lavender hair which were tucked behind his ears. His hair was wavy, but various parts would stick up in random position. Lastly, his fringe is slanted down to the right side of his face which was jagged, dangling in front of his much to his annoyance.

As for his clothing, Ryuu wore a casual attire. He wore a pale, purple, short-sleeved cotton shirt which bears a picture of a large plane in the center of the fabric, coloured in: white, blue and red dyes. Around his neck he wears a snug scarf which is pale green in colour and decorated with images of various white and grey clouds. As for his lower body, Ryuu wore brown shorts, secured with a black leather belt and side pockets. He wears a pair of grey trainers with navy laces, which were often left untied. Finally, he wears a pair of grey and brown pilot goggles which he wears a top of his head. The left lens is a little cracked.

"I don't like school… The kids there don't like me… But that's fine! I don't like them even more!" Ryuu confessed, pursing his lips as he continued walking.

Silence.

"I wanna be in the air, Sora, I wanna be with you… Is it nice? Being in the sky? It must be, you are in the air after all… Who wouldn't want to fly?! Flying's so cool! You're so cool Sora!" Ryuu blushed happily, staring into the sky.

Silence.

"Sora? Why're you ignoring me? Are you… Mad? Please don't be mad, Sora, I'm so lonely, please talk to me!" Ryuu cried, quickly walking towards a tree and covering his face with his hands so that he could sob in piece.

"I miss you Sora"

"I miss you Sora"

"I miss you Sora"

"Why aren't you home?! Don't you love me?! Aren't I important to you anymore?" Ryuu's breathing became rapidly quicker as he kept thinking about Sora.

"Father doesn't love me!"

"Mother doesn't love me!"

"Nobody loves me!"

"Nobody loves me"

Nobody loves me..."

Ryuu let that sink in as he faced the cruel reality…

…

…

...

"Hurry! Grab the kid!"

Ryuu widened his eyes at once, sitting up as he felt forceful hands grab at his arms and legs. "E-eh!? W-what are you d-doing!? L-let go of me at o-once!" Ryuu attempted to struggle as his captives dragged him into the van.

"SORA! SORA! SAV- UGH"

Ryuu felt a sting on his neck as he felt himself getting drowsy.

"Sora… Save me"

That was the last thing Ryuu muttered before the game.

* * *

 **Takeo Hayabusa** was excited.

Takeo was a tall, slender, and refined man. His skin was pale. His marble-like skin had scars of various sizes, most notably on his arms. His face was slim with dark brown eyes and dyed light brown hair which is styled in a messy slick back style with a small man bun at the end.

Takeo wore a grey wool long-sleeved shirt with a slim dark brown leather jacket covering it. For his lower half, he wears blue baggy trousers alongside black and white sneakers. He has a black eyepatch on his right eye which was designed as a bullseye target. Finally, he has black fingerless gloves.

However, the reason the reason Takeo was excited is because he was finally participating in this year's game. He was finally going to accomplish his dream…

… Of taking a life.

Archery was not a form of art. It was a weapon. It was beyond annoying to Takeo that it was used as a mere activity. It should be used for war! In fact, Takeo was daring enough to say that bow and arrows were much more lethal than guns.

In fact, bow and arrows were much more intimidating as well.

Takeo creased his forehead as he thought about the use of a gun. To him, it wasn't all that threatening. Even if you were shot, it was going to be quick and the blood wouldn't be all that exciting to look at.

Now, if you were shot with an arrow, it would stick into the body containing a bit of the blood. This would give you time to walk to the body and pull out the arrow, witnessing the squirt of blood leaping out of the wounded body part.

Takeo continued to daydream about being in the game.

He then sighed. He hoped that he didn't get a lame condition like 'Don't kill another player for 73 hours' or some bullshit. That would seriously suck.

"Hayabusa?" A middle aged woman asked.

"Is it time?" He asked immediately. The woman nodded in response.

Takeo gave an evil smile.

"Perfect"

* * *

"What can I get for you?"

"Sake… And maybe something more-"

"Sake it is, It'll be done in a couple of minutes"

The female Bartender cut off her customer, turning her back to them so that she wouldn't have to face them. He was a sleaze bag when it came to the female bartenders, but she was used to it, so it didn't bother her all that much.

Her name was **Michiru Okudaira**.

Michiru was a fairly tall woman with a pear shaped body. Her bust was small, though she uses padding to make them look bigger than they actually are. Her hair was straight, dark purple which has grown to about her neck. Short side locks frame her face. She had narrow, amber coloured eyes with bags under them. She has a heart-shaped face with a wide forehead and sharp chin. She had pale, but soft skin, expression normally seen as calm.

Michiru's outfit consisted of a dressy black vest over a white dress shirt in tandem with a pair of black slacks. For footwear, she wears a pair of fashionable, but comfortable, black leather shoes. Lastly, she wears a golden tie over the shirt, but under the vest.

Michiru couldn't help but take out a slip of paper from time to time to stare at it. She knew that she probably shouldn't do it, especially while working, but the slip of paper was too important for her to just ignore.

It didn't mean she'd act on it though.

"Here you go sir, one sake"

"Thanks, how about we get to kn-"

"My work is strictly professional, quit while you're ahead"

The man grumbled as he moved away to a table that was as far away from Michiru as possible. She couldn't help but give a sigh of relief.

She couldn't even remember his name.

Michiru rolled her eyes as she thought about the scenario if she had gone with the man. They'd have casual sex and then the man wouldn't want anything to do with her since he'd have what he wanted.

Not that she wanted sex, she just couldn't see an intimate relationship forming between herself and the man. By no means was she perfect, but she had standards.

Michiru sighed as the day continued. Her job wasn't all that interesting, but it paid well, and that was all that mattered.

"Michiru, you can go home for the day, thanks for the hard work" Her boss told her.

Michiru nodded her head , gathering her things, she made a move to leave before her boss stopped her.

"Michiru… Are you okay?"

The woman in questioned frowned. "Of course, do I not seem okay?"

"You seem distracted" Her boss told her bluntly.

Michiru bowed. "Apologies, I'll do better to be more focused"

Her boss just laughed awkwardly in return. "There's no need for that Michiru, I just feel like I don't know a whole lot about you, despite how long you've worked here"

"I make an effort to separate my personal and work life. I didn't mean to offend"

Her boss just groaned. "Never mind, just go home"

Michiru nodded, heading out.

It was late at night, and she was walking along the pavement alone. She knew that this was dangerous, and she normally left work a lot earlier, but she was desperate for a raise; something her boss kindly offered.

Suddenly, she heard something behind her. She turned subtly, finding a suspicious white van following her. She sighed.

She turned a corner where the van couldn't follow her. Unfortunately, she had miscalculated and had walked into a dead end.

"Oh dear..." Michiru muttered, preparing herself for what was about to happen. She turned around to find two men and a woman were following her.

"Just come with us and we won't hurt you"

Michiru nodded her head, desperately hoping that what they said was true.

* * *

"Does this satisfy your curiosity, Chouko?" Reo asked as Chouko absorbed all the information she had maintained.

"Yes, father, thank you for telling me all this" Chouko muttered quietly.

Reo tsk'd. "Thank you for Informing me. Your vocabulary is perfectly educated, start using them properly instead of that babyish language"

Chouko looked to the ground sadly.

Reo looked at his daughter critically before sighing. "Be prepared, the game starts in 12 hours"

Reo left Chouko to her own thoughts as she gripped the list of names tightly, tears strolling down her face.

"I'm so sorry everyone… This is my fault"

* * *

 **Pretty much this is the end of meeting the cast! Elaboration on the game will be explored more in the next chapter! Leave a review as it will motivate me!**

 **If you guys have any questions or concerns, just PM me and I'll happily respond (please make sure they're sensible questions) especially if they regard your OC!**

 **Also! Check my profile as I'll be leaving a blind poll of which route you would like to explore first! I'm keeping it blind just to avoid bias. Until I next update, thanks for reading!**

 **\- zephryr**


	4. Let the Games Begin!

**Hello everybody! I don't have anything smart to say other than that this will be the last time we'll be in Chouko's perspective for a long while. Also, voting is still available on my profile page if ya wanna touch that.**

 **PainX65:** "Fuck Reo, yes. Glad I did Seitaro correctly and that you seem to like the cast! As for your concerns on how they kidnap people in broad daylight, that will be addressed in a later chapter! Enjoy!"

 **ifdalesew:** "I understand what you mean by some introductions felt short, but some of them just had to happen like that so as not to spoil too much. Appearance is necessary to picture the character in your head, so, I'm sorry if that bored you a bit. Your thoughts on the characters seem interesting, but I can't address any of them. Read on and enjoy the chapter!"

 **TheRoseShadow** **21:** "Yes, Kimiyori is superior daddy. I knew you'd notice Takeo, I'm hoping to make those two clash. As for the other characters, I enjoy them all very much. I got lucky with the cast! Read on and yeah!"

 **Crimson Spider Lily:** "Yes, damn Reo, the piece of shit! Anyways, I liked your thoughts on each character, comments on Fusui was especially funny. An actual parental figure? I'll think about it. Enjoy!"

 **Lupus Overkill:** "Reo in a nutshell pretty much. A lot of interesting observations, I see. Sadly, I can't confirm any of them. Glad I did Michiru justice! Read on and enjoy and stuff."

* * *

Chouko looked around the surprisingly comforting room as she observed her unconscious competition.

It was a quadrilateral room filled with things you'd expect to find at some boarding school. The colour of the walls were lime green and sunset orange arranged in a certain pattern to make it more eye-catching. There was a small coffee table in the middle of the room surrounded with comfortable sofas and singular chairs. There were even some bean bags to sit on. In the upper left of the room; there was a mini kitchen with a few cupboards, oven, even a mini fridge! The kitchen had a little counter if someone preferably wanted to sit there rather than the chairs and sofas.

The next thing she noticed were the metal collars on everyone's neck. They were identical to each other, not one was more special than the other.

Even her own.

Touching the metal collar with her fingertips always made her spine shudder with chills. It was a constant reminder that their life was in danger and that they must remove it if they didn't want to die.

The only thing that relieved the child was that whoever had a weapon beforehand, now didn't.

Nori Mitsugi had come as a surprise when a gun had been discovered in her purse. It prompted the staff team to search every competitor. To their relieve, only Nori was discovered with a hidden weapon.

Kimiyori Ikeda and Takeo Hayabusa would obviously not be allowed their bows, which is why they were obviously stripped from their bodies. To create a game, the circumstances needed to be fair for every player involved, otherwise the experiment would fail.

If Chouko was being honest, she expected to die. She was the only variable in her father's plan that could ruin the test. Putting her in this game was a gamble, but it was something her father hoped would pay off. Risks must be taken for satisfactory results, after all.

Having a repeat of last year's game just wouldn't do.

The game was starting in less than 5 minutes, so Chouko chose a corner and curled up, pretending to be asleep as she waited for the first contestant to awaken.

Suddenly, she heard a female groan from somewhere. "Wha-? Where am I!? Why are there others here!? Huh?"

If Chouko had to guess, she'd say that the voice belonged to Emica Niseyama.

"Hey, handsome guy who impressively has no flaws on their face whatsoever! Wake up!"

Chouko then heard a slap and a loud yelp. "Hey! Watch the face! That hurt!"

That was definitely Katashi.

Chouko opened an eye as she saw Emica with her hands on her hips and Katashi lightly rubbing his red face. "Look dude, I literally didn't know how else to wake you up. Everyone here seems comatose"

"Can't be too comatose if your weak slap woke _me_ up"

"Coming from the guy who cried like a little girl when I slapped you as 'weakly' as I did"

Chouko creased her forehead in annoyance as she tried her best to ignore them. She heard a few more people wake up, but she wasn't too bothered. Suddenly, she felt her shoulder shook and she bolted up, wide eyed.

"Fear not. I only wished to wake you up" A kind face greeted her as he gave her a small smile of reassurance.

Chouko nodded as she meekly bowed in front of Kimiyori. "Thank you, mister"

Kimiyori patted Chouko's shoulder. "There is no need to be formal with me, my name is Kimiyori Ikeda"

Chouko nodded. "I'm Chouko Imai… Do you know where we are?" she feigned ignorance as she looked around the room.

Kimiyori shook his head. "Apologies, I do not"

The little girl nodded in understanding as she and Kimiyori walked towards one of the couches. The older man made it a point to sit her in the middle, so on Chouko's left was Kimiyori and on Chouko's right was Nori.

As for the other players; Chouko saw different reactions to the game. Miriko Kobayashi was doing her best to comfort the next smallest contestant, Ryuu Akiyama, who was sobbing uncontrollably. Michiru Okudaira looked to be in bartender mode as she was making a couple of drinks for Takeo and Seitaro Miyamoto, both of them looking slightly impatient, though she took no notice. Fusui Maremaru, Inari Orihara and Anko Okashi were the loners of the group; not wanting to do anything with the group. Fusako Ikari couldn't keep the mirth off her face as she continued to watch the admittedly entertaining argument between Emica and Katashi.

"Okay, enough of this shit, why're we here?" Anko aggressively demanded to know, waving her arms around.

Miriko pursed her lips. "We have children here, you'd best watch that language" she warned with a raised brow.

The woman in question rolled her eyes. "Yes, because the children is what we should be thinking about, obviously..."

Nori sighed. "Does anyone actually remember what happened to them? All I remember is walking home from work before finding myself here"

A couple of the others affirmed her story. The only ones who didn't actively state their stories were Takeo, Fusui, Seitaro, Inari and Anko. The first three having an idea of why they're there while the other two for personal reasons.

"W-why're we all h-here?" Ryuu asked tearfully, Miriko trying to wipe his snotty nose.

"It must be the work of the universe! Perhaps this is a test of sorts, but if it is a test, I wonder what It's about? But that's only under the assumption that this is a test, because it could easily be something else! Maybe-"

"Shut the fuck up, you're giving me a headache, and I hate headaches" Fusui suddenly growled, staring Fusako down as she held eye-contact with him. She looked away, shrinking into the background.

Fusui wasn't all that bothered with the group, though he strangely kept eyeing Chouko herself from time to time, which made her slightly uncomfortable.

"Michiru, any thoughts?" Seitaro asked suddenly, making said girl sharply look up.

Michiru pursed her lips as she carefully thought through her response. "I believe It's best not to make any assumptions currently"

Seitaro pouted as he heard Michiru's bland response.

"I don't think we have anything to worry about, I mean, if they haven't killed us they can't be all bad. Know what I mean?" Emica voiced mindlessly.

Katashi scoffed. "If that is the case, than why are we all wearing metal collars like dogs?"

Emica blushed a colourful red as she started to feel her nose bleed. "Collars…? Dogs…? Oh my!"

Miriko tsk'd as she handed her a few tissues, shaking her head in disappointment; though Emica didn't seem to notice.

Takeo then decided to speak up. "If anyone here is suspicious, It's the weirdo wearing the fox mask, he hasn't spoken a word since getting here"

Inari looked taken aback, shaking his head back and forth as if trying to plead for his innocence.

"Can't deny that" Anko agreed immediately, eyeing the fox wearer with suspicion.

Chouko then decided that she had to defend him. "I think It's wrong to accuse someone based on what they wear..." she muttered loudly enough for the group to hear.

Anko gave Chouko a hard stare. "Look here little girl, we're not going to get anywhere if we don't suspect people, It'd be best for you to grow up now if you want to survive"

Before anyone could even defend the girl, Nori immediately started questioning Anko. "What do you mean by 'survive'? Are you insinuating that our lives are in danger?"

The chef scoffed. "Duh! Of course our lives are in danger! Why else would we be here!? Man you guys are so annoying..."

"I can think of someone more annoying..." Fusui muttered darkly, staring at Anko with what could only be described as hate.

"Everyone! We need to calm down, blaming each other will not get us anywhere!" Kimiyori spoke up, his voice oozing with authority.

"Yeah! Woo! You go man!" Seitaro cheered with a handsome grin.

"Agreed, we're all thinking irrationally, the best thing we can do is determine the sequence of events that got all of us here" Michiru agreed, hand on her chin.

 **"WHY DON'T I SHED SOME LIGHT TO THE DARKNESS"**

Everyone tensed up as Chouko felt herself being held close to Kimiyori's side.

Suddenly, the huge television turned on to reveal a mascot of a decayed caterpillar. The sight made Chouko shudder, as she couldn't help wishing the mascot was a little more tolerable to stare at.

"Ew" Was Katashi's reaction to seeing the hideous thing. While it went unnoticed, Chouko was the only one who saw Takeo's eyes light up.

"Yes, why don't you?" Nori muttered, tapping her foot out of impatience.

"What an unknown being..." Fusako commented with awe.

The caterpillar spoke. "Yes, you may refer to me as ' **Saiku** ' if you will"

"Heh, what a laughably deep voice for something so tiny" Fusui mocked with a smirk.

"I'm not laughing..." Ryuu muttered, seeking comfort within Miriko.

"Wimp"

"Am not!"

 **"SILENCE"**

Everyone sat silent as Saiku took comically deep breaths before announcing. "We're all going to play a game"

Chouko cringed at those words. She felt Kimiyori rub her shoulder in a comforting manner which made her feel a little bit better.

"I don't wanna play!" Anko shouted.

"I'm sure you've all noticed by now that everyone here is wearing a metal collar"

Everyone nodded.

"Well, you better follow the rules to this game, or else those collars will explode"

"..."

"... How tacky"

"Now's not the time you nincompoop!"

Nori got everyone back on track. "What exactly would be the objective of this game?" she questioned, eyes hard.

"To escape from this facility of course! To do that, you have to remove the collars around your necks" Saiku explained with a crooked smile, making the caterpillar mascot seem even creepier.

"Oh? Would you happen to have a key?" Fusako asked, her head tilted.

Saiku shook It's head. "Nope, you will be using a PDA to release those things"

Michiru frowned. "Where do we find these PDA's?"

"You will have them at the start of the game"

"What's the catch?" Seitaro immediately asked, eyeing the caterpillar with suspicion.

Saiku nodded It's head in approval. "Glad to see you aren't all naive, you will be required to carry out a condition in exchange for your freedom" Saiku then grew serious. "If you want to survive, you must absolutely carry out the condition or face death; consider it a King's Order if you will"

"So… Why let us interact with each other? I assume that because this is game, there must be winners and losers, which ultimately means some of us will have to die, right?" Miriko observed, making Ryuu scoot away from her slightly.

"What the hell!? Oh my God, this cannot be happening to me of all people!" Anko shouted out furiously, lifting a middle finger to the caterpillar.

"Charming" Was It's deadpan reply. "As for the old lady's question, this is a formal introduction to the game, which means you can seize up all of your opponents"

"Putting children in a death game… How sickening" Kimyori said, pursing his lips as he couldn't stop the glare directed at Saiku.

"Anyways, the room you are currently in is called a 'safe zone' so to speak. This means that no combat is permitted in this area, otherwise there will be immediate punishment. For the first hour, there will be a grace period, which should grant you enough time to wonder around freely for you all to get comfortable with your surroundings" Saiku paused.

"How much longer?" Fusui whined.

"Not much, I just need to say two more things" Saiku reassured him.

"The next subject will be about the Decoy PDA. This can be used to fool your fellow participants into thinking you have a safe condition, when in reality, your condition could very well be deadly" Saiku chuckled, a bit of drool leaving It's mouth.

"What conditions should we expect?" Michiru asked.

Saiku laughed loudly at that. "As if I'm going to tell you now! You'll find out during the game, It'll be more exciting that way!" Their eyes then widened. "I forgot to mention this earlier, but destruction of your PDA or inserting it into your collar before fulfilling the release condition will also result in your death"

Ryuu whimpered at this.

"Finally… I have an accomplice amongst you all"

Chouko widened her eyes in horror at that revelation. What was her father doing?!

"They will be ensuring that the game continues… There are two ways to survive this game. One, simply fulfill your release condition. Or two, kill the accomplice; however, they must be the first death of the game" Chouko's heart started to rapidly beat. "If the accomplice among you is not the first death during the game, the game will continue normally"

"Any final words fox boy?" Takeo commented off-handedly, giving the fox wearer a sly smirk.

"Before I destroy you, that is" Anko finished, cracking her knuckles threateningly.

Poor Inari continued to shake his head as he picked up one of the bean bags to protect himself, using it as some sort of shield.

Fusui growled in frustration. "For fucks sakes, there's got to be some way out of here!"

Chouko, very aware of Fusui's character, widened her eyes. She had to do something. "Uhm… Where did Saiku go?"

Fusako shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe Saiku is the universe's ruler..." she pondered thoughtfully.

"Concerning the accomplice, wouldn't… That guy be too obvious?" Michiru pointed out, her finger directed at Inari. "I just don't think we should be assuming anything without more proof"

"I agree" Nori commented. Michiru just glared at her in return, though it went unnoticed by the businesswoman.

Ryuu sniffed. "T-then, t-this isn't a r-ransom for m-money?"

Katashi scoffed. "Sure kid, because someone would kidnap a no good prisoner" he rolled his eyes, his gaze on Seitaro.

Seitaro smirked. "Think I'm the traitor?"

Katashi narrowed his eyes. "I wouldn't be surprised"

Chouko couldn't help sighing. The suspicion being thrown around left and right was so overwhelming, but she knew she couldn't do anything about it, who'd listen to a little girl like her? Her father hardly did, so what would the difference here be?

The little girl got up from the sofa, going unnoticed due to Kimiyori trying his best to diffuse the situation. She went up to Michiru and tugged on her apron. Said woman looked down. "Y-yes?" Michiru stuttered, being slightly caught off-guard by Chouko's appearance.

"Is there any apple juice…?" Chouko asked timidly, looking down to her shoes. She then heard Ryuu sobbing even louder. "Umm, two cups of apple juice please?"

Michiru nodded her head, searching the fridge. "Lucky you, there appears to be some apple juice here" she poured two small cups of apple juice and handed them to Chouko.

Chouko bowed politely. "Thank you, Ms" Michiru nodded her head in acknowledgement.

Despite the cold demeanor, Michiru seemed kind enough. What Chouko couldn't figure out is what the woman prioritizes exactly. She seemed conflicted, fickle, like she couldn't decide on what she wanted in life. Though, that was only Chouko's observation, whether or not that's true was to be explored.

Chouko made her way to Miriko and Ryuu, handing the latter a cup. "H-here, for you" she gave a small smile. Ryuu stared at her wide-eyed, as if he had only seen her. He pursed his lips as he saw her stainless face, his face growing hot in embarrassment. He knocked the cup out of her hand, making the cup drop as Chouko stepped back in surprise.

"Ryuu!" Miriko sharply said. "She was giving you a drink! You don't just knock it out of her hand!"

Ryuu turned his nose in return, turning his head away from Miriko and Chouko as he tried to force himself to stop crying.

Miriko sighed as she turned to Chouko. "He's just very scared at the moment, please don't mind him"

Ryuu turned a glare towards Miriko, covering his ears with both hands so that he didn't have to listen to anything.

Chouko petitely walked away as she realized that the only other person close to her age didn't like her very much.

Miriko seemed nice enough, but Chouko couldn't help but think of the old lady as suspicious. Nothing in her history suggested a criminal record or a hardened life except for her struggles of getting together with her current lover. So, why was Chouko more scared of her than she should've been?

Ryuu was a bit of a wildcard. Despite his rather vulnerable situation now, Chouko was fully aware of his survival skills. What Chouko couldn't understand was how he channeled his inner strength as there wasn't a lot of time for a proper evaluation on the boy.

Chouko looked around her opponents and spotted Emica and Fusako speaking with each other. Emica was explaining something in great depth to Fusako while Emica's face was getting redder and redder for whatever reason. The little girl shrugged as she made her way over to the two.

"Hello"

Emica jumped in fright, clamping both hands to her mouth so as to not scream out loud. Her eyes darted to Chouko while Fusako gave a simple wave back, not surprised by Chouko's appearance.

"O-oh! Hi! Wha-what're you doing here!?" Emica laughed awkwardly. "Fusako, help?" Emica whispered to Fusako, not that it escaped Chouko's notice.

Fusako smiled innocently as she slyly glanced at Emica. "Emica here was telling me about her very first… blowjob"

Emica blushed furiously as Chouko tilted her head in confusion. "N-no I was n-not! Why would you say that in front of a kid!?" Emica pointed accusingly at Fusako.

"...Blowjob…?" Chouko muttered, hand to her chin as she thought about the term.

Emica continued to stammer some gibberish as Fusako smoothly covered up It's true meaning. "It's where you blow bubbles and get paid for it, right, Emi dear?" she smiled devilishly.

Emica nodded, a defeated look on her face. "I hate you so much right now..."

Fusako shrugged innocently as Chouko decided to move away, confused with the women.

Chouko continued to think about those two women so as to collect her thoughts. Emica seemed easily distracted for whatever reason. It concerned her when she thought back to the amount of times Emica's face turned unnaturally red. The little girl wondered if the woman was ill or something, she wished the best for the Plastic Surgeon.

As for the other one, Fusako, her attire admittedly scared her. She seemed nice, but Chouko couldn't help wondering if it was an act or not. Was she being too prejudiced? Basing it on looks alone? She wasn't sure, but she had nothing else to base it on as Fusako's ramblings were a little hard to follow from time to time.

Chouko looked over to Kimiyori, who appeared to have given up trying to diffuse the bomb between Katashi and Seitaro. If anything, the man seemed agitated, annoyed with the situation he's found himself in.

She would've gone back to Michiru to ask for a cup of apple juice for the man, but didn't want to bother the woman, so she just sat next to him quietly. There was awkward silence between the two as everyone continued to converse, whether they were arguing, chatting, or just making small talk.

"..."

Chouko studied his face as the man looked deep in thought, his brows furrowed in concentration. His face was very manly, perhaps even… Fatherly? Chouko shook her head as she knew her father would be angry if she were to think of other men as fatherly.

"Is something the matter…?"

Chouko blinked her eyes rapidly as she noticed Kimiyori giving her a concerned look, his face kind.

She wanted to cry.

Chouko rubbed her eyes as she took deep breaths to calm down. Her father had explicitly told her not to lose her composure. He said that everyone would hate her, find her annoying, be seen as the weakest link; therefore, she'd be the first target of the game. She couldn't let that happen.

She wouldn't.

"No, you looked distressed" Chouko hesitated, taking another deep breath. "Are you perhaps worried about something?"

The man seemed amused at her question. "You're awfully percep- uhh, observant?" Kimiyori was originally going to say 'perceptive' but the little girl had given him a confused look, so he changed it to 'observant' at the last second. "I'm worried for my family, if they could kidnap me… What's stopping these evil people from kidnapping my family?" Kimiyori then shook his head. "I'm sorry, I really shouldn't be saying all of this to you, I'm just worrying you even more..."

Chouko garnered a focused face. "Perhaps… I think your family is safe"

"What makes you say that?" Kimiyori questioned curiously.

"Uhm..." Chouko muttered. "Our kidnapper… Put a lot of thought into this, did they not?" Chouko looked unsure of herself as the man gave her a puzzled look, but she continued on regardless. "For example, have you noticed the different ages between us?"

Yes, that was a purposeful choice on her father's part. It was decided on early on that most participants would be fairly middle-aged, a couple in their early twenties. There were a few distinguishing ages. Miriko was a prime example, clearly the eldest, and Ryuu; someone in their mid teens. It's another reason as to why her father had put her in this game, there would be no child more "competent" than her, he said.

"I hadn't until you told me" Kimiyori admitted softly as his eyes sharpened with thought. "What could it mean though…?" The man then turned to face Chouko and gave a small smile. "You have relaxed my nerves, thank you"

Chouko nodded, feeling proud of herself as she stood up to leave Kimiyori to his thoughts.

Kimiyori was very kind. The little girl thought she had used 'kind' a little too much, but it just seemed like a word that related so much to the man. Despite being in a scary situation, he was still thinking about his family before himself, she admired that very much. He didn't patronize her like most of the players here, he listened to her and took her seriously for a change.

Chouko then saw Anko and Seitaro. They appeared to be in a pretty serious argument, though when Chouko got a closer look, it was Anko who was arguing while Seitaro continued to provoke her with a smug grin. Chouko rubbed her arm uncomfortably. Those two were going to be scary players during the game, along with Fusui. The little girl shuddered when she thought about Fusui.

During evaluation, Anko seemed really nice. But ever since she's been here, she's done nothing but throw accusations around, as if she expects to get out of the facility if she blames every single person. Chouko couldn't decide whether it was because she was scared, or if it had something to do with trust issues? She's going to be a tiresome player, so Chouko hopes she can avoid the woman.

Seitaro was an eerily kind of calm. He hadn't lost his composure once. Chouko knew that the man was made aware that he was going to be in a death game, but it seemed a bit bewildering that he didn't appear scared to go into this game at all. She wondered if he had seen some horrible stuff to be unfazeable, or perhaps, It's possible he could be a… psychopath. Or was it sociopath? The terms always confused Chouko as they were annoyingly similar words.

Chouko then turned her attention to Fusui, who was leaning against the wall, resting his one visible eye. The flower eyepatch he had scared her, something pretty on such a violent person, it almost felt like he didn't try to make an effort to deceive you into believing he was nice or something. Suddenly, he opened his eye, meeting Chouko's eyes. She widened her eyes in fear, quickly turning away.

He was scarier than Seitaro and Anko combined. There was an unnatural bloodlust behind him that Chouko couldn't explain. He felt like someone who could snap the neck of anyone in his sights. She self-consciously rubbed her neck as she avoided eye contact with the scary man.

The small girl stumbled a bit behind her before bumping into a pair of human legs. She squeaked as she turned around to see who she bumped into.

It was Takeo Hayabusa.

"Watch it! Oh, uh… Small child" Takeo started aggressive, but just looked on blanky as he stared at Chouko. "Uhh… Shit, what do I say to a small child..." The man muttered not so subtly . "Umm… shoo?" he asked Chouko a little weakly, flicking his wrist in her direction.

Chouko was not impressed.

"I am not a dog, mister" Chouko told him politely, her father told her that flaunting her intelligence was shameful; so she was taught to be polite even in the most stupid of situations.

Takeo suddenly grabbed her hair clip, making the small yelp in slight surprise as he chucked it a couple of feet away from them. He then pointed at her, and then the hair clip. "Fetch" was his command.

Chouko seethed in annoyance as she went to fetch her hair clip, strands of hair already annoying her line of sight.

Takeo was someone Chouko did not want in the game. Not because she wanted him to live, despite her selfishness wanting to claim that, just simply because he would be an annoyance to the game. She did not appreciate his disrespect towards her and hoped someone would put him in his place. What annoyed her beyond belief was that during evaluation, nothing was noted about a mentality snap, making him even more unpredictable than he already is.

Chouko reached out a hand to grab her hair clip, but someone else was quicker. She sighed in annoyance as she looked up to whoever took her hair clip.

Katashi inspected her hair clip as Chouko waited patiently for him to return it. "Usually, I'd label something like this a little tacky, but with you..." Katashi surprisingly took great care in placing Chouko's hair clip back in place. "... It works perfectly" he told the smaller girl, giving her a small smile.

Chouko curtsied in place. "Thank you, mister"

To her surprise, Katashi squealed in delight. "Your manners are near perfect! If only I had you as a little sister of sorts, my image would be skyrocketing!" he then paused. "But your hair could do with combing"

Chouko gasped in small surprise, looking at her reflection in one of the marble tiles. She took one look.

She wanted to cry. Her father was going to be angry with her for appearing like some homeless hobo. She started to sniffle a bit, making Katashi panic. "Hey, hey, it isn't that bad! Look!" he then brandished out a hair brush and started brushing her hair. "I'll have it fixed in just… Under a minute… Done!" he then smiled as he brandished a mirror from seemingly nowhere. "How does that look?"

Chouko took a look at herself and giggled. "I look very nice, thank you mister!" Chouko thanked, smiling brightly.

Katashi blushed as he turned away. "The urge… so strong… must resist..."

Chouko walked away, leaving the film critic very conflicted.

Katashi was… Weird, to say the least. Despite sometimes being harsh, Chouko thought there was a kind heart underneath all of that prejudice. His reaction to the whole thing has come as a surprise, considering evaluation would suggest he'd act the opposite way. But so far, he's been kinda dorkish, not that Chouko was complaining. He was able to get a laugh out of her after all. Despite his erratic personality, she wanted to meet "The Epitome of Weird" as her father described it.

Chouko sat next to the fox wearer as he apprehensively stared at her. Their meeting consisted of stares.

And stares...

And stares…

"…"

Inari then leaned in closer to the girl, her feeling of confusion greater than fear as he leaned his face into her ear.

"... Inari..." he whispered, before getting up and leaving Chouko very confused.

Well, Chouko could say with confidence that her father had exaggerated his erratic like behavior just slightly. Sure, he was a little strange, but what he did isn't exactly the most abnormal thing in the world; that just seemed like someone who took great measures in making sure they didn't have to talk to anyone. She wondered if Inari would have an easier time socializing if he just took off that mask though… While It's true some unfortunate events happened in his life, it wasn't anything drastically tragic according to what her father had informed her of.

Last but not least, Nori. She was massaging her forehead as she groaned in frustration. "What motive would anyone possibly have to kidnapping a bunch of random people… There must be a reason, there must!" Nori narrowed her eyes when she felt a tug on her sleeve.

"Hello" Chouko greeted with a welcome smile, waving slightly. Nori didn't looked fazed.

"What is it kid? I'm trying to think up a way to get out of here without any interruptions" Nori told the child bluntly. Chouko looked a little put off, but continued regardless.

"Do you need something to eat? Or maybe drink? I noticed that you didn't look very happy, so I was hoping that might be able to cheer you up" Chouko asked cautiously, making sure not to overstep any boundaries. Nori stayed quiet for a moment before slowly nodding her head.

"Sure" shrugging with indifference, she got up from the sofa and made her way to the bar while Chouko followed her. She then addressed Michiru, who was still washing up. "Can you get me a drink? Preferably one with alcohol"

Michiru stared at the woman with a look of disgust, her attempts of hiding it failing miserably. "Seriously?" she asked the business woman with a raised brow.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Nori deadpanned, giving Michiru a glare. The bartender rolled her eyes as she used the cup she just dried.

After a bit of moving around, Michiru produced Nori with a drink. "I hope this is to your satisfaction..." Michiru muttered sarcastically, shoving the drink into the woman's hand.

Nori rolled her eyes as she took a small sip and then pretended to think. "Meh, mediocre at best" she told Michiru dryly, making the bartender's eye twitch with anger.

Before a confrontation could begin, the screens began to static again, before revealing Saiku. Ugh, looking at him was going to give Chouko nightmares as goosebumps began to form on her arms.

"I hope you're all ready to rumble! Cuz this battle royale is about to begin!"

"Not for all of us" Kimiyori said curtly.

Saiku stuck out It's ugly tongue. "Such a party pooper"

Chouko wanted to laugh out loud at that. If anyone was a party pooper, it was her father.

"Well, whatever, have nice a sleep everyone!" Suddenly, thirteen yelps of pain could be heard as they all immediately fell unconscious.

All except Chouko.

Suddenly, from a hidden door in the room, her father came out. It was silent between the two as Reo let Chouko collect her thoughts.

"..."

Chouko finally decided to ask a lingering question. "You neglected to mention all of the mutated monsters in this facility, why?"

Her father answered immediately. "To protect you"

Chouko didn't know why, it wasn't as if it was the first time he'd said, but she felt an emotion that she hadn't felt in a long time.

Anger.

"Protect me?" she spat out spitefully, surprising Reo at the amount of venom in his daughter's voice. "What kind of father sends their own child into a death game!? I don't care for this experiment! Okay!? I don't care! I want out! I don't want people to die on account of me! Please don't do this!" Chouko's eyes were streaming with tears as she suddenly started pounding on her father's chest with her fists. "You don't love me! You don't! Why're you prolonging my death!? Why not kill me now!?" Chouko finally said the finishing blow.

" _I hate you!_ "

Chouko shrieked in pain as she was sent flying to the floor as her cheek burnt with pain. She clutched her cheek as she stayed down, defiantly staring at her father. Suddenly, one look at him was enough to diminish her anger and instead replace it with an emotion she felt far too often.

Fear.

Reo shook in fury as he glared daggers at Chouko, the hand he had slapped her with shaking violently as he took shallow breaths. "YOU WILL NOT SAY THAT AGAIN!" he roared, making the girl cry out in fear.

"Say you're sorry"

"..."

"SAY IT"

"..."

"I see how it is..." Reo suddenly took a remote out of his pocket. "Night night, sleep tight, be very scared to open your eyes tonight"

"OW" Chouko yelped as she felt herself getting drowsier.

Her father had drugged her. He was mad, very mad.

Chouko had suddenly made this a very hard game to win.

* * *

 **Yeah... I have no good excuse for the long wait.**

 **Despite It's shortness, I still hope you've all thoroughly enjoyed this chapter! Be sure to vote on the poll as It'll determine who we follow first! If there are any spelling mistakes, It's because I haven't reread and frankly I'm not too bothered about it currently!**

 **So the gist of the rules are out of the way, but there is still much to explain during the game! Sorry if any parts feel rushed, I just really wanted this chapter out of the way. Be sure to PM if I'm not portraying your character correctly!**

 **Until I next update!**

 **\- zephryr**


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